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Colobanthus quitensis

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Colobanthus quitensis
Antarctic pearlwort at St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Colobanthus
Species:
C. quitensis
Binomial name
Colobanthus quitensis
Synonyms[1]
  • Colobanthus alatus Pax
  • Colobanthus aretioides Gillies ex Hook.
  • Colobanthus billardieri Fenzl
  • Colobanthus cherlerioides Hook.f.
  • Colobanthus crassifolius (d'Urv.) Hook.f.
  • Colobanthus maclovianus Gand.
  • Colobanthus meingeni Phil.
  • Colobanthus saginoides Bartl.
  • Sagina crassifolia d'Urv.
  • Sagina graminifolia Wedd.
  • Sagina magellanica Willd. ex F.Phil.
  • Sagina quitensis Kunth

Colobanthus quitensis, also known as the Antarctic pearlwort, is one of two native flowering plants found in the Antarctic region.[2] It has yellow flowers and grows about 5 centimetres (2 inches) tall, giving it a moss-like appearance. Due to climate change, the species has been spreading rapidly, particularly to areas outside of Antarctica.[3]

Description

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A close-up showing the flowers of Colobanthus quitensis

Colobanthus quitensis has yellow flowers and grows about 5 centimetres (2 inches) tall, with a cushion-like growth habit that gives it a moss-like appearance. It is an angiosperm, meaning that it is a plant that produces flowers. It relies on wind pollination because of the lack of bees and other pollinating insects in the Antarctic region.[2] Although it is moss-like, Colobanthus quitensis is a tracheophyte, or vascular plant.[4]

Distribution

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Colobanthus quitensis is found on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, on South Georgia, South Shetland, the Falklands, and the Andes, becoming increasingly rare northwards, but reaching Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, with a further isolated population in Mexico.[5] It is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica, the other being Deschampsia antarctica.[6]

Climate change

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Colobanthus quitensis is able to withstand freezing temperatures

Within Antarctica, due to climate change, more seeds are germinating, creating a large number of seedlings and plants. Reports indicate a fivefold increase in these plants, which have extended their ranges southward and cover more extensive areas. Research found that the Antarctic pearlwort spread nearly ten times faster during the period 2009 through 2018 compared to between 1960 and 2009.[6] Although future climate change may relieve environmental stress and increase the plants ability to photosynthesize, warming may reduce the plants ability to resist freezing temperatures.[3] Further research is being conducted to determine the effect of climate change on these plants.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Colobanthus quitensis (Kunth) Bartl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b Kozeretska, Iryna (2005). "The Herbarium of Antarctic Vascular Plants". National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Acuña-Rodríguez, Ian S.; Torres-Díaz, Cristian; Hereme, Rasme; Molina-Montenegro, Marco A. (2017-09-18). "Asymmetric responses to simulated global warming by populations of Colobanthus quitensis along a latitudinal gradient". PeerJ. 5: e3718. doi:10.7717/peerj.3718. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 5607920. PMID 28948096.
  4. ^ Rudolph, E. D. (Apr 1965). "Antarctic Lichens and Vascular Plants: Their Significance". BioScience. 15 (4). American Institute of Biological Sciences: 285–287. doi:10.2307/1293425. JSTOR 1293425.
  5. ^ Colobanthus quitensis at botany.cz[bare URL]
  6. ^ a b Singh, Geetika (2023-10-05). "Climate Change in Antarctica Has Given Rise to Blooming Flowers". Earth.Org. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
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